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Rei Sho
I believe there's hope buried beneath it all... History Reiko was born into a destitute family in a village (the name of which she can't remember) that was quite poor in general, and lived under the constant, looming threat of a powerful wizard and summoner who had decided to make it his home. With his vast spellcasting abilities, there was little a village of peasants could hope to do against the former adventurer, and they were merely grateful that he seemed to want to peacefully retire in their little village. The wizard took notice of Reiko as a child due to her shapechanging ability, which had appeared at an early age, and become something the little girl had loved to play with. Upon noticing the little fox-turned-girl, the wizard approached her mother and made an offer to buy her on the spot - a fascinating magical beast like her would be the perfect familiar to make his tower more cozy. Reiko's mother refused initially, but she had other children to feed, and the wizard's offer was more money than she'd seen in her lifetime. Wouldn't her daughter lead a better life under his care? Have more opportunities? So, eventually, her mother relented, and allowed the wizard to buy Reiko and raise her how he wished in his tower by the river outside of town. Her new master was a cruel sadist. He expected perfect obedience, and seemed to very much enjoy coming up with new and creative magical punishments for every transgression. Rei quickly grew familiar with his favorite spells and summons, and the nefarious purposes to which they could be used. But, when she behaved how he wished, he was completely different toward her, almost gentle and affectionate. Almost. It was enough that she spent the rest of her life terrified of him, and molded her behavior to avoid punishment as much as possible. When she finished her duties, if the wizard was away, she would often look out the one window she'd been allotted, watching the river, and daydreaming about what it would be like to follow it to freedom. But, truthfully, she was a little afraid that being out there, alone in the world, with nobody at all to take care of her would be far worse than stepping carefully around her master's temper every day. Eventually, however, she realized that she was still alone in that tower. And when the wizard cheerfully told her of his plans to marry her and 'make their relationship a legitimate one', she realized that she couldn't spend another day there under his rule. She left that night, scaling the tower with just the clothes on her back, and fleeing for the river, which she knew would hide her scent. But she hadn't planned for the wizard to have warded his tower, and just as it seemed like she was close to freedom, as her feet touched the ground for the first time in years, she heard a furious yell, and her master began throwing blasts of magic at her. She didn't know what spells they were, or even if they were spells at all - he sort of just seemed to be flinging blasts of energy at her in an utter rage. She fled for the water, ducking beneath it as he threw blast after blast until he'd exhausted whatever power he was using. When the air went silent, she swam downriver in the dark until she couldn't see the tower in the distance anymore, and only then did she start to breathe. After that night, something changed in her. She felt like there was a power coursing through her - maybe it had always been there, maybe she'd absorbed it over so many years living in the wizard's tower, or maybe whatever blasts of magic he'd thrown at her had changed her somehow. She felt... powerful. Perhaps for the first time in her life. And so, while quickly fleeing as far from her hometown as she could, Reiko started trying to channel that power. She'd picture the blasts her master threw at her as she fled, concentrating at a piece of wood or pile of rocks, trying to force the energy from her fingertips. She knew it was there - it tingled when she tried to stand still, like it wanted her to keep moving. She just had to learn how to channel it. She traveled for several months on her own, practicing and slowly gaining control over her power, sticking to the river and staying alert. She was sure her master would be looking for her, he'd always told her that no matter where she went, he'd always be able to find her. Eventually, though, she realized she still wasn't happy. Mostly she was just scared. And she was still very, very alone. So, as she approached a village, she braved civilization again. And what she realized was... nobody really gave a shit about her in the real world. Nobody knew who she was, and nobody cared. It was such a freeing feeling! Even as she had quite the culture shock and a whole lot of firsts. She learned quickly about the concept of money, and the fact that she didn't have any, and that most people looked down on 'beggars', which was apparently a word for people without a home, like her. She started to model her behavior on these beggars, and learned that she could earn money for telling stories in the streets. Rei had always loved stories – even the stuffy old biographicals in tiny writing she had to squint at on her master's top shelves. They'd been her only real source of entertainment in the tower, and she had a ton of them swirling in her head. She quickly proved to be a natural at these oratory performances, and while she never became rich, she always had enough coins in her pocket to get something to eat and drink. At least until one day she walked through the door of one of her usual, broken-down inns after a day of work, and found herself on another plane completely. She knew something was wrong because the time of day had changed quite suddenly. She realized something was strange about where she'd ended up when suddenly everyone who walked into the bar was interested in her. She'd just gotten used to everyone ignoring her, and the feeling unsettled her. It unsettled another newcomer to the anomalous plane as well, a paladin by the name of Gregor, and the two quickly became close in the chaos of their surroundings. Gregor helped her to learn how to fight, and even took her out on what he called a “mission”. Apparently, somebody was going to pay them to clear out an area of the city. While that first mission didn't go... quite so well, it did awaken in her a thirst for adventure, and she was eager for Gregor to take her out on more missions once she recovered. She even began to make friends in the city. It started to become something of a home. Then the dimension itself collapsed one day, unceremoniously dropping many of the people in it into the continent of Nibiru. At first, Rei was panicked, thinking she'd been left alone again. But she quickly found Gregor, and she quickly found their little house with its distinctive red door that he'd gotten for them so she'd feel safe, and she made contact with her friends and confirmed they were safe too. She still can't believe how lucky she's gotten, to go from where she was to where she lives now. It feels like a paradise. But now, she knows how to fight to protect it. Appearance Rei is a small, thin, pale girl, big blue eyes set deep into her delicate features. She has somewhat curly, mostly messy, sandy blonde hair that hangs just below her shoulderblades (over the deep, claw-like scars on her back that she usually keeps hidden), and typically presents herself with a pair of fox ears and a set of five silky tails of the same sandy color. Once she finally was able to take off her rags, she vowed never to put them on again, and so she wears a wide array of dresses and leggings, usually sticking to simple tunic dresses that let her move around easily. As a natural shapeshifter, Rei can change herself pretty much however she wishes, and she can even disguise herself as other people. She always stays pretty much the same size, however, except for when she fully shifts into a fox – when she turns into an even tinier creature with five tails that practically cover its entire body. As she's slowly grown in power, even more tails continue to sprout. Personality Rei is quiet and skittish at first meeting, never really trusting anyone initially - who knows who is sympathetic to which laws, after all. She is especially nervous around magical beasts, and tends to be especially jumpy around spellcasters. She tends to observe before she speaks to people, but once she does, she actually seems quite friendly. In conversation she comes across as cheerful but woefully naive, as even still she's experiencing many of her 'firsts' in life that she never knew about due to her lifelong captivity. She hasn't had much social contact throughout the majority of her life, and therefore tends to be a little awkward and blunt, but she is sincere and genuine (if a bit dodgy about her past), and that shows through more than anything else. The only time she ever seems to get angry, actually, is when something threatens the peace she's found. Friends Gregor Laudmian – During the first mission where Rei tried out her skills, a well placed enemy arrow pierced her in a vital place, and she quickly fell unconscious. She woke up the next morning in Gregor's bed, the paladin having sat vigil beside her in his full suit of armor. She was amazed and touched that he'd cared enough to make sure she was okay, and she knew that if he hadn't done that, she probably would have died. This was only the first time that Gregor saved her, and it's become such that his cheeky references to being her 'Knight in Shining Armor' have become much more than jokes. She's grown hopelessly in love with him. Macie Mosswell – Macie was the first person who Rei met in that strange, unstable dimension that she spent a brief period of time in, and while she thought the woman was strange at first, they became friends fairly quickly. Rei finds comfort in Macie's awkward honesty and it makes her feel like she can actually talk to her about things. Plus, they just have fun hanging out. And she has the cutest kitten. Aleksandar Sweetpea – Macie's boyfriend (fiancee?) and the only kind minotaur that Rei has ever met. She was nervous around him at first, but quickly realized that he was nothing like any of the minotaur she'd experienced before. Enemies Her former master, a conjuration wizard by the name of Aresh. Rei knows that he is actively seeking her out. Any and all bounty hunters. There is a bounty out for her capture, and she's seen the poster her master put out. She could see how that prize would be awfully tempting. Aspirations For the most part, Rei just wants to feel a sense of safety that actually lingers, and fully gain control of the power inside of her. And maybe to get Gregor to tell her he loves her back. Category:Characters __FORCETOC__